


I'm Just Going To The Store (To The Store)

by fortunehasgivenup



Series: I'm Just Going To The Store (To The Store) [1]
Category: Good Girls (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Babies, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-07
Updated: 2020-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:26:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23046241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fortunehasgivenup/pseuds/fortunehasgivenup
Summary: On a hunt for ice cream to satisfy her pregnancy cravings, Beth winds up at a 24-hour gas station. It's not like anywhere else is open at 2 am. She's not expecting to hit it off with Rio, who has to be the world's worst gas station attendant.
Relationships: Beth Boland/Dean Boland, Beth Boland/Rio
Series: I'm Just Going To The Store (To The Store) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1700317
Comments: 81
Kudos: 468





	I'm Just Going To The Store (To The Store)

**Author's Note:**

> There was a tumblr post at one point that said something along the lines of "You've heard of the café AU. Now get ready for the 24-hour gas station AU." This was born.

Beth pulls into the 24-hour gas station with a sigh. Why does everything have to be closed at 2 am?

“Because most people are asleep,” she mutters to herself as she gets out of the car and stomps across the parking lot. She’s a woman on a mission. 

The store has that same odd aura of most 24-hour spaces and the fluorescent lights make her blink a few times as she pulls open the door. Or rather, tries to. It doesn’t open.

She rattles it, but no, it’s definitely locked.

“What the hell?” It’s supposed to be open 24 hours! The sign even says that it’s open right now. She knocks on the glass.

A figure comes out of the back, walking lazily to the door. She can only really see the top of his head over the shelves of chips and candy. But then he rounds the corner and Beth is pretty sure her heart drops into her stomach.

He’s not wearing the garish yellow and blue uniform that the cashier usually is. He’s not the overly helpful kid or the overly helpful (in a different, creepier way) old man, or the middle aged woman who looks like she could bench press a car and only ever speaks in single words. “Cash?” “Bag?”

Instead, it’s an extremely handsome young man, probably around her age. Tall and lean.

He flicks the lock and pulls the door open.

“What’s got you so desperate to come shopping this time of night?” the attendant drawls.

“Aren’t you supposed to be nice to customers?” Beth snaps, making a beeline for the freezer, praying that they’ve got the cotton candy flavour.

He just laughs, the noise echoing. “This time of night, you’re out of options if you don’t want to drive another 15 minutes,” he says. “Doesn’t answer my question.”

Score, they’ve got it. Beth grabs a tub, starts to close the freezer, then decides _fuck it_ and grabs another one. The jerky is by the cash register, so she heads that way.

He’s leaning against the counter, feet crossed casually in front of him. He looks at her, at the ice cream, then makes a face. “Really?”

“Are you always this judgemental?” Beth wants to know. He’s in front of the jerky, so she puts the ice cream down and shoos him out of her way. He steps aside.

She grabs the ten pack and tosses it beside the tubs of ice cream, ignoring his sound of horror.

“That’s disgusting,” he says.

Beth, who has, she thinks, been perfectly reasonable up to this point, rounds on him. “I’m pregnant, you inconsiderate jackass!”

He blinks, slowly. “Oh.” He shifts from foot to foot.

She swallows, suddenly feeling every single emotion that she’s been ignoring for the last three hours, and starts to cry.

“Shit, I didn't mean to be a jerk,” the guy says. He grabs one of the little packs of Kleenex and opens it, passing her one. “Hey, hey, don’t cry.”

“Don’t tell me what to do!” She starts crying harder.

It’s like she blinks and all of a sudden there’s a bottle of water in her hands and she’s standing outside in the cool night air.

“You gonna be sick?” the attendant asks. She shakes her head. “Ok, breathe with me.” He tugs one of her hands up and sets it on his chest. “In. Out. In. Out.”

It takes a moment for her to match her breathing to his, but eventually she stops crying as hard and he takes the water bottle back from her to open it up. She accepts it and nearly drains the thing.

“I’m sorry,” she says, wiping her cheeks furiously on the sleeves of the hoodie she stole from Annie. It has holes in the sleeves designed for your thumbs to go through. It’s so comfy. She’s never giving it back. “I didn’t mean to dump all of that on you.”

He just shrugs. “I’m pretty sure that’s part of being pregnant,” he says, “the whole hormonal thing.”

Beth snorts. “The hormonal thing?”

He kicks his foot back and forth on the asphalt. “You’re growing a whole other person. You’re allowed to do whatever. I’m pretty sure that’s the rule.”

She laughs, feeling light hearted for the first time in…days. “Is it? So I could just walk back in there and take whatever I wanted and it would be okay because I’m pregnant?”

“More or less,” he tells her.

“I’m Beth,” she tells him, still wiping her eyes.

“Rio.”

She sniffs. “Rio?” When he nods, she gives him a look. “Is that short for something?”

“Rio,” he just repeats. Beth rolls her eyes. “I’m assuming Beth is short for Elizabeth?”

“Yeah, but everyone calls me Beth.”

He studies her. “Nah, I don’t wanna. I’m gonna call you Elizabeth.”

“C’mon,” he opens the door for her, “don’t want to let your ice cream melt before you get a chance to dip your beef jerky into it or whatever you were planning to do.”

Beth smiles and follows him inside.

He puts the ice cream and jerky into a bag. When Beth goes for her purse, he shakes his head.

“It’s on me. I was a jackass,” he says. “Made you cry.”

“Then helped me stop,” Beth reminds him. “Will you get in trouble?”

He smiles. “No, I won’t.”

“You’re sure?” Beth asks.

“Elizabeth, take your ice cream and your jerky and go home,” he tells her firmly. “You gonna be good to drive home?”

She nods. “Yeah, it’s just a five minute drive.”

“Then drive safe,” he says. When she leaves, he locks the door behind her again.

———————

A week later, Beth’s back at the gas station. It’s not quite as late as it was last time, but it’s still late enough that other places are closed.

“Is Rio here?” she asks the guy behind the counter. His eyes widen. “That is the name of the guy that was here the other night, right?”

“Uh, yeah,” he answers. “He’s, he’s not here right now.”

“Oh.” She hates how much her mood dips at that answer. “Could you tell him that Beth stopped by and that I just wanted to thank him again?”

He nods, but he looks like he’d really rather not pass on that message.

Beth leaves without buying anything.

————————

Beth pulls into the gas station and taking a deep breath, undoes her seat belt. She’s getting out of the car when she sees the gas station door open up and Rio step out.

She smiles at him.

“Back for jerky and ice cream?” His voice is a smooth drawl, even raspier than she remembered.

Beth shakes her head. “I could go for a Slurpee though.”

Rio’s eyebrow goes up. “Your kid’s gonna come out blue.”

Beth rolls her eyes. “That’s not how it works. Now gimme.”

He sighs, but leads her into the store and gets her the Slurpee. The smallest size. Beth giggles, but accepts.

“Don’t drink it too fast or you’ll get a brain freeze,” Rio warns her.

“Yes, mother,” Beth sing-songs, taking a long sip. She sticks out her tongue at him.

“And you’re the one about to pop a baby out,” he remarks with a shake of his head.

Beth scowls. “No I’m not! I’ve got months to go.”

He looks her up and down. “Is it twins?” He’s smiling as he says it though, so Beth isn’t nearly as offended as she normally would be. He takes her light punch on his bicep with a laugh. “Nah, you can barely tell you’re knocked up.”

Beth shakes her head, making a face. “Don’t call it that.”

“Don’t call it what?”

“Knocked up,” Beth says. “You’re making it sound like I’m a high schooler who had sex at homecoming and is now living with the very real consequences.”

Rio’s lips are twitching. “So what you’re saying is, home wasn’t the only thing coming.”

“Oh shut up!” Beth tells him, even as she starts to laugh.

He herds her to the bench out front of the store and takes a seat next to her.

“You know what you’re having?” he asks, jerking his head towards her belly.

“Boy.” Beth puts her hand, now cold from the Slurpee, on the curve of her stomach. “Kenneth.”

“Kenneth?” Rio looks at her. “You’re gonna name your kid Kenneth.”

“Yeah!” Beth says. “What’s wrong with Kenny?”

Rio groans. “You’re killing me, mama. Kenny? I’m pretty sure I’ve known a Kenny or two in my life and it’s never been a good situation.”

“Why?”

“First one? Third grade. Kenny Dane. Shoved that motherfucker off the jungle gym. I’m pretty sure the last Kenny I met, I was beating him up too,” Rio says, sipping his water.

Beth stares at him, then starts to laugh, only to trail off when he doesn’t. “You’re serious.”

Rio shrugs.

“Why would you beat him up?” Beth asks.

“Because he was wearing a polo shirt and fucking loafers. And because he was trying to short me.” At Beth’s confused look, he clarifies. “He owed me money. He tried to pay me less money than he owed me, then tried to say it was my fault. Must have been me who counted wrong.”

“That’s terrible.”

“Some guys are just asking to be punched,” Rio tells her with a wry grin.

Beth nudges her. “Well clearly you’re a bad influence,” she says, taking a long sip of her Slurpee.

Rio shakes his head. “At least I’d be around to be an influence,” he mutters.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Beth demands.

He gives her a look. “Where’s your baby daddy?”

“My _husband_ ,” Beth lifts her left hand and wiggles her ring finger, “is crushed at work.”

“What, he a doctor or something?” Rio asks.

Beth bites the inside of her lip. “Sales.”

Rio lets out a bark of laughter. “And you think he’s working this late? Oh baby, I got a beachfront property in Nevada to sell you.” He shakes his head, chuckling.

Beth’s cheeks are burning as she struggles to stand up. “You’re such a jackass,” she snaps. “I don’t know why I came back.”

He grabs her hand and tugs her back down. “Alright, I get it. He’s working late.” He doesn’t look like he believes it, not even a little bit, but Beth lets him pull her back and doesn’t say anything when he keeps holding her hand.

—————————

Rio’s pretty sure that Gervais now lives in constant fear of him showing up. There’s no set schedule with Elizabeth, although it seems like she tends to come on Wednesdays. So he’ll drop by and just wait around, giving Gervais a mild heart attack every time.

He hadn’t meant to get sucked into the life of some pregnant lady who showed up at a gas station at 2 am to buy cotton candy flavoured ice cream and beef jerky, but somehow, he has.

Problem is, he actually likes her. She’s funny and tough. He’d say she’s burying a heart of gold, but she wears that on her sleeve. Not to mention, she’s pretty. Even several months pregnant, more rounded out than she was, she’s hot. Lips that she’s always biting. Big blue eyes that have this habit of making Rio feel like he’s just given her the sun even when he’s just handed her a Slurpee.

He knows the husband is fucking around on her. It had been obvious from the second she’d said that he was working late. In sales, no less. A couple questions and a license plate search later, he knows that she’s married to Dean Boland of Boland Motors. Apparently, the heir to the dealership.

If Rio’s set some of his guys to follow Dean Boland around, well, he’s just taking an interest in Elizabeth’s wellbeing. She shouldn’t be with a guy who can’t keep it in his pants even when he’s got someone like her at home.

If he’s showing up at the gas station every week on Wednesdays and then, Saturdays too when she mentions it, well that’s no one’s business but his own.

She even gives him her phone number and demands his in return. “No point in coming if you’re not here to entertain me,” she says with a sweet smile.

It’s been a couple weeks and they’re sitting on the bench outside again, this time she’s eating an apple she brought with her when she drops it on the ground and hisses.

“What?” Rio turns serious.

She winces, putting her hand on her belly.

“I think I’m having contractions.”

Rio blinks at her. “What?”

“I think I’m having contractions,” Beth repeats, wincing as another one hits.

His eyes widen and he nearly jumps up. Then his hand is on her back and he’s practically shoving her to the car. “Should you even be driving this far along?” He’s scolding her, the jerk.

“I’ve still got 6 weeks to go!” she tells him, stumbling to a stop at her car. Rio holds up his hand.

“Keys.” She scowls, but passes them over.

He drives to the hospital over the speed limit, but nobody pulls them over, so he gets there in good time, nearly carrying Beth into the emergency room as she tries to call Dean.

Beth explains what’s happening to the nurse, who nods.

“You and your husband -“

“He’s not my husband,” Beth says at the same time that Rio says, “I’m not the father,” while holding up his hands.

The nurse just gives them a look. “You and your friend can just take a seat.”

Rio helps Beth into a chair as her face, pale usually, turns ashen.

“Still not picking up?” he asks, rubbing her hand. She shakes her head and passes over her phone. She’s called her husband - Jesus, 20 times - each one of the same length.

“You leave a message?”

“No,” she sniffles. “What’s the use? He’s not here, is he?”

“Hey, hey,” Rio wraps an arm around her shoulders, “what’d I say about crying?”

“Don’t do it?” Beth guesses.

Rio laughs. “Something like that. Come on, give me the phone, I’ll call, leave a message letting him know you’re here and what’s happening, okay?”

“No!” She grabs his hand tightly. “Don’t leave me alone.”

Rio swallows, nods. “Alright. Alright, I won’t.”

It’s Braxton Hicks, apparently. Beth is, thank fuck, not currently in labour. She’s chatting with a nurse, so Rio slips out with her phone to give _Dean_ a call.

“You don’t know me,” Rio says after the beep, “but I’m a friend of Elizabeth’s. She’s at Mercy West right now. You may have noticed some twenty off missed calls from her. She thought she was in labour. She’s not. She’s fine. They’re gonna hold her a few hours for observation.” He hangs up.

He wants to put his fist through this fuck’s face. He takes his own phone out of his back pocket and calls Demon.

“You find him?”

Demon grunts. “Yeah. He’s at his secretary’s apartment.”

Rio rubs his temples. “You gotta be fucking kidding me.”

“Nah. You owe me, boss, I’ve seen some things tonight that I’m never getting out of my head.” Demon sighs. “You want me to knock?”

“No. Text me the address.”

He leaves Beth at the hospital, with the promise that he’ll be back to take her home.

“I gotta take care of some things, sweetheart,” he tells her gently. She sniffs, but nods. “I’ll be back,” he promises. “I’ll keep my phone on me and if you need me, you call.”

“Okay,” she says, a little watery, but she settles into the bed without any further fuss.

Rio knows as soon as he pulls up in front of the apartment building that Beth’s husband is either overpaying his secretary or he’s subsidizing his mistress’ lifestyle. One is stupid. The other is stupid and cruel.

Demon’s leaning against his car, nearing the end of a cigarette.

“How we doing this?” Demon asks, pinching it out and then putting the butt into his pocket.

“I just need you to back me up,” Rio tells him.

Demon nods.

They reach the apartment door and Demon stays to the side while Rio thumps his fist on the door.

“Pizza,” Rio calls out.

The door starts to open. “I think you’ve got the wrong apartment man, we didn’t order a -“

Rio slams into the door, knocking the man - Dean - onto his ass and steps into the apartment, trailed by Demon.

A young woman comes running out of the bedroom, wearing a silk robe. Jesus, she’s probably 20, if that. She opens her mouth to scream, but Rio holds up his hand.

“I’ve got no problem with you,” he says. “But Mr. Boland here hasn’t been answering his phone and his wife’s in the hospital.”

“Bethie?” Dean tries to sit up, but Demon steps forward and puts his boot on the man’s chest. “What’s wrong?”

“I dunno, Dean,” Rio says, “what happened to your phone?”

The girl swallows. “It’s off.” She’s shaking. “Plugged in in the kitchen.”

Rio nods. “Can you bring it here?”

She walks to the kitchen and comes back with a phone. Rio turns it on.

“How long the two of you been together?”

“It was a one ti-“ Dean starts to say, but Rio gives Demon a look and Demon puts a little bit more weight on him. Rio raises his eyebrow at the girl.

“A year.”

“You know his wife’s pregnant, right?” Rio says, trying not to cast judgement and all that. For what it’s worth, she actually looks slightly ashamed when she nods. “That’s cool. He’s gonna be divorced real soon.”

Dean’s eyes are wide and he’s shaking his head. That doesn’t work for Rio.

——————

Demon walks out with Rio. “So that’s the husband, huh?”

Rio looks at him.

“Of the pretty blonde lady you keep going back to the store for,” Demon says. “Elizabeth.”

Rio stiffens, but nods.

“She yours now?”

Rio shakes his head.

“You want her to be yours?” Demon pushes.

Rio stops walking and turns to face his lieutenant. “That’s not relevant.”

Demon grins. “Uh huh. If you say so, boss.” Rio has to ignore the hint of amusement in his voice or he’ll have to punch his oldest friend in the face.

He drives back to the hospital, where Beth is awake again.

She looks up at him when he comes in and if he thought she would be disappointed that he’s not Dean, he’s wrong.

“Did you find him?” Her voice is a little fragile.

Rio nods and moves to take a seat next to the bed. He takes her hand in his. “You wanna know?”

“Was it Amber?”

Rio blinks. “Yeah.”

Beth just bobs her head. “What am I gonna do? Where am I gonna go? I can’t stay in that house any longer.” She starts to cry. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry, I’m making you get involved in all of my drama and I-“

Rio ignores her words and moves to hug her. “It’s okay,” he says. “You don’t gotta worry about any of that.”

—————————

Rio walks Beth into the apartment.

“I didn’t have long,” he says, mostly to warn her, “so there’s just a bed and kitchen table and chairs so far. Make a list of what you want from the house. Me and some buddies can go pick it up. Then make a list of what you need and I’ll sort it out.”

Beth looks at him, her hand resting on her belly. “This is too much, Rio.”

He rolls his eyes. “No, it isn’t. You should have more than this, but Deansy’s a dumbass.”

Her face falls a little at the reminder. She’s still smarting from the knowledge - confirmation - that her husband had been fucking around while she was at home pregnant.

“I’m just next door,” he goes on. “You need anything, you just gotta come knock. If I’m not there, you can call.”

“Why are you doing this?” Beth asks, biting that bottom lip of hers.

He shrugs. “I like you.” Like that’s an answer.

He leaves her to settle in, but leaves his door unlocked in case he needs to rush over. She makes him a list, which he immediately tears up because there’s barely anything on it.

“Half that shit is yours, Elizabeth,” he tells her. “Not just the baby furniture.”

So he goes over with a longer list and takes what she told him, plus a couple extras for her trouble.

Dean knows not to complain.

All the while, she gets closer and closer to her due date.

He’s in the habit of jumping up and running to the door when someone knocks, assuming it’s her. It usually is, but it’s about the internet or getting something down from a high shelf.

Tonight, it’s to invite him to dinner.

“I made a lot,” she says with red cheeks.

Rio nods. “I’ll be over in a couple minutes. Need me to bring anything?”

She shakes her head. “Just you.”

Rio heads over after changing his shirt and Beth feeds him spaghetti and meatballs - homemade.

He gets up to take a phone call near the end of the meal, but a cry has him ending it to run back into the kitchen.

He stares at the floor, then Beth.

“I think I’m having a baby,” Beth says. “For real this time.”

——————

Rio’s pacing back and forth.

“It your first?”

He stops in his tracks and looks up at a guy. “What?”

“Your first kid,” the man clarifies. “You got that look.”

“Uh,” Rio stumbles. What does he say? No, it’s not my kid, it’s just that he’s friends with the baby’s mom and also maybe nursing a bit of a thing for her.

The man laughs. “It’s my third. My wife just kicked me because I was breathing too loud.”

“Yeah?” Rio asks.

He nods. “I’ll go back in a few. You get kicked out?”

Rio bites his lip. “I’m not the father.”

The guy’s eyes widen.

“But her husband was cheating on her and I found out, so I made him tell her. They’re getting divorced. She doesn’t want him here.”

The human mind can adjust to anything, and the stranger just nods. “She want you here though?”

Rio shrugs. “I don’t know.”

“Well, why don’t you go find out? She might need a hand to break.”

“That can happen?” Rio starts to sweat.

The man holds up his hand. “Jess broke my pinky finger last time. Give her a tennis ball.”

“I don’t have a tennis ball,” Rio finds himself saying. The man just smiles. “I’m gonna go -“ he gestures over his shoulder.

“Yeah, go, go. I should get back to Jess. Hopefully she’s forgotten the fact that she kicked me out. Congratulations by the way.”

“You too,” Rio tells him, then turns away and stomps to Beth’s room.

She’s pacing back and forth too.

He runs to her side. “Shouldn’t you be lying down?”

Beth glares at him. “Oh fuck no,” she hisses. “Gravity’s going to help me out.”

The nurse in the room smiles. “We’ve still got a while to go,” she tells Rio.

Beth whimpers and Rio holds out his hand for her to grab onto. He immediately understands what the man in the hall meant. Jesus fucking - he winces, but doesn’t say anything and in a few seconds, her grip loosens.

“I’m never getting pregnant again,” she says.

“If you say so,” Rio agrees. That sounds fair. Plus he’s not about to argue with her about anything at this point.

“I’m never having sex again,” she goes on.

“Uh huh.”

She draws in a deep breath and then lets it out. “I swear to god, if a man tries to put his penis in me, I’m gonna rip it off.”

“Sure,” Rio says. Makes a mental reminder not to try to have sex with her. He’ll let her make the first move.

—————————

Beth’s high as fuck, going in and out of consciousness. Rio’s just staring at the baby. Kenneth. She’d still given him that dumbass name. “I ain’t calling him Kenny,” Rio had told her. Beth had just smiled.

Kenneth - Ken - is asleep, tiny little face all pinched up. He’s probably the sweetest thing that Rio’s ever seen, though he’s not telling his sister that.

“Yup, that’s good,” the nurse tells him. “You have experience with babies?”

Rio nods. “Got a couple of nieces.”

“You do?” Beth asks.

Rio looks up at her. “Got two sisters,” he tells her. “They’ve each got two.”

“Oh.” Beth sighs. “Am I ever gonna meet them?”

Rio chuckles, then falls silent when Ken squirms a little. “Yeah, mama, you’ll meet them.”

—————————

Rio hadn’t been lying when he had told Beth she would meet his family. His mom and sisters ambush the three of them when they’re coming back from the hospital.

“Ma!” Rio hisses, putting his hand over Ken’s ear in an attempt to make sure that he doesn’t wake up, but it’s too late and Ken’s up, squalling. He glares at his family as Beth lifts him from the car seat.

It’s downhill from there. His mother and sisters barely know anything about what brought him and Beth to their current state of being and they keep giving the two of them pointed looks as they ask probing questions.

“So you’re divorced, Beth?” Jia asks.

“In the process,” Beth answers.

Helen jumps in. “Must be helpful to have a man around though.”

Beth scowls. “I’m good.”

Rio, who had been about to take Ken from her arms, freezes. Beth still hands him the baby and Rio meets his mother’s beaming gaze.

—————————

Rio knew what he was doing when he moved Beth in beside his place. Or at least he had thought that he had. Only it’s become more like they live in a weird house that has a hallway with locks in between.

She’s at his place, he’s at hers. There’s all kinds of baby stuff all over his bachelor pad and he bought a second phone charger because he kept forgetting which apartment it was in.

Right now, Beth’s conked out on his bed. Which she’d been making for some reason. Rio has no clue what’s going through her head half the time. But Ken had been starting to fuss as he woke up from his own nap, so Rio had lifted him from the crib and taken him out of the bedroom to let Beth sleep more.

The thing that Rio’s learned over the last few months is that sleep is hard to come by with a newborn. He’d put Ken down on what Beth has been calling a “play quilt” and settled in to watch the ball game with him.

“You’re not playing football,” Rio tells Ken as he watches the replay of a tackle. “Apparently your daddy did and I’m pretty sure that it gave him at least a little bit of brain damage because let’s be real, your mom’s stacked as hell. So no football for you. Hockey -“ he pauses, “we’ll talk about that later. Maybe croquet or something like that.”

Ken chews on the leg of Sophie the giraffe, staring up at Rio.

“Competitive eating?” Rio shakes his head. “That’s got to be bad for your body.”

He glances up at the TV, then back down at the baby as Ken takes the toy from his mouth and holds it out to Rio, spit covered end first.

Rio sighs. If he doesn’t take it, Ken’s liable to either get upset or throw the thing, so he takes Sophie gingerly. “Thanks,” he says, setting her aside and wiping his fingers on his jeans. But then Ken holds his hands out and opens and closes his fingers a few times into a little fist. Rio puts a finger into Ken’s fist and lets the baby pull it into his mouth, wincing as he starts to gnaw on it.

“That’s what Sophie’s supposed to be for, buddy.”

Ken just keeps chewing on Rio’s finger, staring up at him. Eventually he lets Rio have his hand back as he starts to nod off again. Rio puts him back into the crib and he has every intention of leaving the room to make some phone calls, but the bed looks comfortable and Beth is spread out, looking just as inviting.

So he climbs into bed and falls asleep.

He wakes up with a face full of strawberry blonde hair. He’s wrapped around her and he starts to lift his arm to start extracting himself, but Beth’s hand grabs onto his wrist and keeps him in place.

“Noooo,” she whines, “‘m comfy.”

Rio smiles. “Yeah?”

She nods. Or at least he’s pretty sure that she nods. Her hair moves against his face.

“You let me sleep,” Beth says, backing up so that she’s pressing even closer to him. “Thanks.”

Rio holds his breath as her ass comes into contact with his groin and rubs. “No problem,” he says. “Me an’ Ken watched some football. I think he ate my finger.”

She giggles. “That’s what Sophie is for, honey.”

“Yeah, but he was tired of -“ his brain catches up with what she’d said. Honey. She’d called him honey.

“Well we slept through dinnertime,” she keeps going like he didn’t stop mid-sentence. “It’s 7pm.”

Rio squeezes her middle. “Slept through your dinnertime maybe. I usually eat at like 8.”

“Ugh,” she protests, “that’s too late.”

She shifts her hips and Rio grabs her waist.

“What is it?” She turns her head so she can kind of see him.

Rio sighs. “You keep doing that, it’s going to come to an inevitable end.”

Her eyes widen slightly. “Oh. Sorry.” She starts to pull away, but Rio doesn’t want that anymore than he wants to freak her out by getting hard in bed with her.

“Nah, just didn’t want to scare you,” he says.

“Oh.” She’s quiet for a beat. “And if I said that it wouldn’t scare me?”

Rio’s hand tightens without him even thinking about it. “What?”

She turns in his arms so that she’s facing him. He lets her.

“What did you mean by that, Elizabeth?” Rio asks, settling his hand on her lower back.

She bites her lip and lowers her eyes. She’s looking at his mouth.

She leans forward, just brushing their lips together. Rio inhales sharply, grabs her face, and deepens the kiss.

He’s got every intention of working his hands down the front of her pants and coaxing them down so he can get his fingers and tongue on her, but Beth’s faster. She shoves down the waistband of his sweats and takes him in her hand.

Already a little on edge, Rio moans. Her mouth captures the noise as they continue to kiss.

Rio feels desperate, overwhelmed by Beth. Her hand is hot and her grip is tight on his cock. He grunts, burying his face in the curve of her neck. His pillowcase feels scratchy against his forehead, but maybe it’s because her skin feels so soft against his cheek.

The hand not currently stroking his cock comes up to wrap around the back of his neck. Her nails bite into him for a second before retreating as she shushes him.

He chokes a laugh into her shoulder. “Oh fuck,” he hisses. He’s close. “I’m gonna -“

She just shushes him again like she’s trying to get him to go to sleep, but her hand is pulling him towards that edge where he’ll have to let go.

It starts in the pit of his belly and he opens his mouth around her shoulder to cover up his cry.

She’s tugged up her shirt at some point, so he spills onto the pale skin of her belly.

He groans as she keeps stroking him, murmuring softly into his ear as he comes down. He barely keeps it together enough to roll to the side so that he doesn’t crush her. When he looks over at Beth, her fingers are rubbing at his cum and he has to groan again, throwing his arm over his eyes.

Beth giggles and rolls away. He hears the tap turn on in the bathroom and when she comes back, her shirt is tugged back down. It bugs Rio, so once she’s in arm’s reach, he sits up and starts to shove it up.

“Rio!” Beth protests.

“What?” He gets the shirt off and tosses it away, but she smacks his hand when he tries to undo her bra.

He looks up at her through his eyelashes and pulls his lips into a pout.

“No,” she tells him, the same way she says it to Ken sometimes when he’s trying to yank her hair.

He huffs, but stops trying to get it off and coaxes her back into bed. She’s soft and warm, and she curls up around him just as much as he does around her.

“Hungry?” Rio asks, brushing her cheek with the back of his index finger.

Beth yawns and presses a little closer. “How about we order pizza tonight?”

Laughing, Rio twists to grab his phone off the nightstand.

—————————

After that, it’s clear that they’ve broken a seal on their - whatever it is. Rio will come home and find her in his bed, wearing his t-shirts, no panties on under them. He likes to bite bruises into the curve of her ass. She wakes up squirming when he does that, although she bitches about it the next day without fail.

Beth likes to ride him, grinding out an orgasm on his cock. And Rio doesn’t mind, although there’s one incident where she starts leaking and she rolls off, trying to cover herself up as she starts to cry. He has to coax her into calming down.

He spends more time with her family - Annie and Ruby - and she gets to know his sisters and nieces and mother, who has started hinting very heavily that she expects Rio to have a church wedding. When the holidays roll around, they’re inundated with even more stuff for Ken - including no less than four Baby’s First Christmas ornaments.

“We’re gonna need a fucking tree just for these,” Rio mutters to her as he looks at their collection of Christmas ornaments, which is mostly made up of Beth’s Christmas decorations. He hasn’t exactly been one for decorating in the past. He holds up the porcelain ornament of a baby in a cradle and winces.

“What’s that look for?” Beth asks, kissing him on the cheek.

“I’m pretty sure this baby is gonna grow up to be a serial killer,” he remarks, pointing to the facial expression.

Beth laughs, taking it from him. “Don’t be mean, Rio. Your sister gave this to us.”

“Yeah, ‘cuz she never wants me to sleep again,” he mutters. “Do we really need to put all of them up?”

“Yes,” Beth insists, hanging the ornament front and centre. Rio grimaces and makes a mental note to move it later. “It would be rude not to.”

“Bah!” Ken shouts, whipping Sophie the giraffe across the room. Rio reaches out and barely manages to snatch it out of midair before it hits the tree.

Rio sighs, turning to Ken, who’s sitting in his little rocker thing and making grabbing motions for Sophie.

“You gonna throw this again, little man?” Rio asks, crouching in front of him.

“Bah.”

He gives him the toy, only for Ken to immediately try to hit him in the head with it.

Beth’s laughing and when Rio looks over at her, she’s got her phone out.

“Delete that photo,” he tells her.

She quickly puts down her phone, biting her lip, eyes dancing. “Oh, it’s not a photo.”

Rio narrows his eyes.

“It’s a video,” she says. “And I’m sending it to your mother.”

“Oh no you’re not,” Rio says, jumping up to chase her, laughing around the apartment. He catches up to her in the kitchen and pins her face down on the counter, but the video has already sent. He groans.

“It was very cute,” Beth tells him over her shoulder, starting to subtly grind her ass against him. “Promise.”

“Cute?” Rio growls. “I’ll show you cute.” He opens his mouth over her neck and sucks a hickey there as she squirms.

———————————————

Rio carries Ken into the diner, keeping an eye on him to make sure he doesn’t toss his toy out of the baby carrier.

“Table for two,” he tells the server.

“Take anywhere,” the man waves Rio to take a seat.

He’s just taken his jacket off when the bell over the door jingles and Beth comes in. He doesn’t need to wave her over, she sees him no problem.

“Hi!” She bends down and kisses him on the lips before turning her attention to Ken. “There you are! How are we? Did you and Rio go to the park?”

Rio gestures for two coffees. “We did. He tried eating dirt.”

“And you let him?” Beth’s head whips towards him.

Rio scoffs. “No. Who do you think I am?” Car man? He doesn’t say it, but he thinks it. “Me and little man had a talk about how dirt is not for eating. It’s for walking on. Maybe digging up when it’s not frozen.”

Ken coos at the server as he approaches with two mugs and the carafe of coffee.

“Well aren’t you a sweetheart?” The man - his tag says Jack - laughs. “Are both of these for you?”

Ken blows a spit bubble.

“Milk or cream for either of you?” Jack asks.

“Black,” Rio says. “She takes cream.”

“I’ll bring that right over then.” Jack wiggles his fingers at Ken and takes off.

“How was your meeting?” Rio asks her, holding out his hand for her to take.

Grinning, she puts her hand on his and squeezes. “It was good.”

“You’re gonna be great at it, baby,” he tells her, bring her hand to his mouth so he can kiss the back of it.

“I didn’t get the job yet,” Beth laughs.

Rio just shrugs. “You will.”

———————

“Dada.”

Rio drops the sippy cup of juice he’s just filled up. “What?”

Ken, wearing a ridiculous onesie with a bunch of surfing sloths, squirms in the high chair, reaching out towards Rio and doing the grabby hands motion. “Dada!” he shrieks.

He stares at Ken until his little mouth screws up like he’s gonna holler and he rushes to the chair and lifts him up out of it.

“Dada,” Ken repeats, patting Rio’s cheek. He’s not exactly gentle about it either.

Rio looks at Ken, who’s grinning up at him. “Yeah,” he says. “Yeah.” He knows that his voice is sounding pretty choked up and Ken’s getting a little blurry as Rio keeps staring at him.

“Are you crying?”

Rio’s head jerks up and he sees Beth standing in the doorway, rubbing her eyes. He blinks at her.

“Dada,” Ken keeps saying.

Rio hoists him up a little higher. “Yeah,” he replies. “Men cry. You trying to give our son a complex?”

Beth bursts into tears. “You’ve - you’ve never called him that before,” she gets out between sobs as she joins them in their little huddle in the middle of the kitchen.

“Well,” he says, bending down to kiss the top of her head. “I’m his dada, didn’t you hear?”

———————

Rio tosses his keys into the ridiculous little bowl that Beth made out of a piece of clay traced around Ken’s hand and walks into the kitchen, then freezes.

“He’s napping,” Beth says, eating a spoonful of ice cream. There’s a strip of jerky, half eaten, by her elbow.

Rio just keeps staring at her until she finally looks up.

“What’s wrong with you?” She picks up the jerky, ring he’d put on her finger winking in the light, and takes a bite.

Well fuck.

**Author's Note:**

> Eight million thank yous to medievalraven and neveroffanon for putting up with my random nonsense and betaing. I finished this ages ago, but kind of forgot about it. So here, have it! If there's content that you think should be warned for, please let me know.
> 
> Title from Carly Rae Jepsen's Store.
> 
> (Me by the end of this: Dean? Who? Never heard of him.)


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